Energy

We are working to reduce our overall energy consumption each year, as a significant percentage of our carbon emissions come from the energy we consume in our buildings and car parks.

How have we done so far?

In 2010/11, we achieved a 5% saving in total energy consumption across all our sites from 2009/10, despite the significant addition to our estate of a new 44 bed ward.

Energy 1

Energy 2

How have we achieved this?

Lighting around our hospitals has been changed to provide better quality working environments and energy savings. Ultra efficient LEDs have replaced halogen lamps, with some sensor controlled to prevent lights being left on in empty rooms.

We also installed cavity wall and loft insulation into a number of buildings across the Trust. At home and at work, this is the simplest and most effective way of reducing energy costs

A major project during 2010 was the replacement of the coal-fired boiler plant with gas-fired boilers in combination with a 100kW combined heat and power (CHP) array. These alone will reduce our annual CO2 emissions by almost 500 tonnes!

Raising awareness among staff of the impact of their behaviour as individuals is a central priority for us. The Trust is recruiting energy champions at each site, and holds staff training days, as well as incorporating responsible energy use into staff inductions.

More details of recent projects can be found under the case studies section.

What’s next?

Next year we plan to save a whopping £150,000 in energy costs through energy savings schemes and improvements to the Trust estate, but we are asking staff, patients and visitors to help us by coming forward with any suggestions for improvements.

There is also a huge amount of energy to be saved through good energy behaviours and we will be running campaigns throughout the year to engage staff and the public in helping us to reduce energy waste.

More details on current and forthcoming schemes can be found here.